Palestinians to Adopt Proportional Voting System

July 06, 2005

Parliamentary
elections in Palestine, which were originally set for July 17th,
have been delayed as groups have called for changes to the way in which
seats are apportioned. The most contentious issue about the electoral
system has been the debate between district voting and proportional
voting. Many civil society groups and parties have argued that at least
half of the deputies be elected through proportional voting, while
President Abbas even argued that all seats be elected through
proportional voting.

On Saturday, June 18, in response to diverse pressures, the Palestinian
Legislative Council (PLC) finally approved by a vote of 43-14 the bill
with the amendment that requires seats to be apportioned evenly
according to the two electoral systems. According to the new law
and amendments, 66 deputies will be elected in local districts and 66
will be elected through proportional voting, in which voters will cast
their ballots for different parties.